'Are you Ce—Cel—the little-girl-in-the-bazaar's mamma?' asked Biddy.
Mrs. Fairchild smiled again.
'Yes,' she said, touching Celestina on the shoulder, 'I am her mother. Did you see her at the bazaar?'
'She was buying chairs, and that made me buy one too,' replied Biddy rather vaguely.
'The young ladies met me after that in the street and asked me the way here. I showed them. That was why I was in the shop,' explained Celestina, on whose brow a little wrinkle of uneasiness had remained till she could tell her mother the reason of her moment's lingering.
'I see,' said Mrs. Fairchild, who would indeed have found it difficult to believe that Celestina had been careless or disobedient; and at the words Celestina's face recovered its usual quiet, thoughtful, but peaceful expression.
Bridget pressed up a little closer to Mrs. Fairchild.
'You're not vexed with her then,' she said. 'She was quite good. I thought at first you were going to be rather a cross mamma.'
'Bridget,' said Rosalys, colouring, and in an awful tone. When Alie said 'Bridget' like that it meant a great deal.
'I didn't mean,' began Biddy as usual.